1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to soap bar holders and more particularly pertains to a new soap bar holder having a plurality of compartments, each compartment being for holding a single soap bar. A removable shelf and tray further provide a means for easily cleaning the soap bar holder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of soap bar holders is known in the prior art. Soap bar holders are generally designed to provide access to the soap bar while keeping the soap bar from coming into contact with water, as such contact can lead to loss of soap through the dissolving action of the water upon the soap.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,054,211 describes a soap holder for supporting a cake of soap upon a base and within a retaining member. The retaining member is pivotally mounted upon the base so that the cake of soap may be retained against inadvertent movement out of the base but may easily be removed therefrom when the soap retaining member is swung laterally upon its pivot axis. An upper face of the floor portion of the base is provided with upwardly standing webs to hold the cake of soap above the tray portion of the base floor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,450 discloses a portable soap caddy assembly having a toiletry receptacle for holding various toiletries and having an auxiliary receptacle with an opening and sidewalls. The auxiliary receptacle is utilized to carry bar soap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,794 discloses a soap holder and dispenser wherein the soap is placed in a container through an opening in the top of the container. A pivotally connected enclosure positions the soap on a holding shelf and shelters the soap from direct and indirect contact with water. The shelf has at least one drain for allowing water to drain from the soap and not pool and collect around the soap. When soap is needed, the user pivots the enclosure which pushes the soap semiautomatically to an exit opening.
Additional soap bar holders are described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,572 and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 359,867.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new soap bar holder having the features of the present invention. The inventive device includes a housing having a top wall, a back wall, a bottom wall, a front wall and a pair of side walls, the front wall having an open portion defined by a front edge of the top wall, a pair of front edges of the side walls, and a front wall bottom portion, the bottom wall having an open portion defined by a pair of bottom wall flanges, a first bottom wall flange extending inwardly from a back wall bottom edge and a second bottom wall flange extending inwardly from a front wall bottom edge, and each side wall having an inside surface, a bottom portion, a bottom edge and an opening formed proximate thereto, each opening having a top edge and being formed in such manner that each side wall bottom portion comprises a bottom wall flange outer portion. A tray having a pair of outwardly extending flanges is receivable within either opening, the outwardly extending flanges being slideable upon a pair of bottom wall flange top surfaces. A shelf is receivable within the opening and is slideable upon a top surface of the tray outwardly extending flanges. A lid having a top edge is pivotally mountable to each side wall inside surface in such manner that the lid top edge abuts the front edge of the top wall. The housing further includes a plurality of spaced partition members formed within an interior of the housing and a means for mounting the housing to a mounting surface.
In these respects, the soap bar holder according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of having a plurality of compartments, each compartment being for holding a single soap bar. A removable shelf and tray further provide a means for easily cleaning the soap bar holder.